GROW your voice!

“When we ran over the median, that’s when the bomb went off and everything went black.”

During the seventh general session of the 85th National FFA Convention and Expo, Josh Bleill addressed thousands of FFA members to share a story of emotion and encouragement.

Bleill was a United States Marine who had suffered an accident during his tour in Iraq. He had enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2002. His father and grandfather had served in the military before him and after 9/11, he knew it was his duty to enlist. On October 15, 2006, Bleill lost both of his legs when an IED exploded under his Humvee in Fallujah, Iraq.

Bleill went through two years of rehabilitation. “I hid from the world. I missed out on a lot of great opportunities because I was scared,” he said of his challenges during rehab.

He overcame hardships and learned to walk with two prosthetic legs. At first, he struggled through negativity and failures. But after receiving support from family, friends and neighbors, he was able to turn his situation into a positive one. He learned to appreciate every second of life and be a role model for others.

After Bleill’s heart-touching story of tragedy and triumph, his message rang out loud and clear in Banker’s Life Fieldhouse. “When you want to grow, you have to grow your vision. It’s about giving. You have to GROW your voice.”

Somos FFA y Somos Orgullosos — We are FFA and we are proud

From Alaska to Puerto Rico and Maine to Hawaii, diversity is an important part of the National FFA Organization. Although as FFA members we are diverse, we also share common ground in our core values of agriculture, agricultural education and a promise of a brighter future. Our differences and commonalities were celebrated at the 85^th National FFA Convention & Expo during the “Somos FFA, We Are FFA” celebration.

On Thursday, Oct. 25, during a panel and roundtable discussion, FFA members and advisors expressed their concerns and addressed issues facing agricultural education for the more than 56,000 Hispanic/Latino FFA members. The goal of the discussion was to create a movement for FFA to educate everyone about Hispanic/Latino communities and agricultural education.

Members discussed and compiled a list of pressing issues facing Hispanic/Latino youth enrolled in agricultural education programs and FFA chapters. Translation of resources was one of the hot topics. Often, Spanish-speaking chapters translate official materials differently, which can cause problems when it comes to career development events, leadership contests or other activities.

Scott Hamilton leaves it all on the ice…and in the fieldhouse

“When we fall down? GET UP!”

“When we fall down? GET UP!”

“When we get knocked down? GET UP!”

Chants pulsed through Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Wednesday, Oct. 24, during the opening session of the 85th National FFA Convention & Expo.

As former male figure skater and Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton walked onto the arena stage, he was nervous that the audience would be too young to remember any of his accomplishments. When he asked the thousands of FFA members if they had ever seen him skate, he was put at ease when the crowd cheered. Hamilton is also known for an appearance as an ice-skating commentator in the movie Blades of Glory.

Feeding the World, Starting in Indianapolis

This is a special guest post from Ed Nicholson, Director of Community and Public Relations at Tyson Foods.

This week, we were witness to one of the most exciting efforts we’ve seen in the dozen years Tyson Foods has been formally involved in the fight against hunger.   Ten thousand FFA members will pack more than one million meals for hunger relief as part of FFA’s Rally to Fight Hunger at the organization’s national convention in Indianapolis.

It’s all part of a broader FFA initiative, Feeding the World, Starting at Home, which puts a significant organizational focus on the issue of hunger, both here in the U.S. and abroad.  It’s a great fit for the FFA, as well as sponsors like Tyson Foods.

This week’s effort was a tremendous achievement in and of itself.  But it’s the future opportunity that carries the real excitement.  A big part of the experience for the students was a challenge to carry what they saw and learned back to their home communities. To spread awareness.  To recruit others.  To stay involved themselves and find ways they can solve the problem of food insecurity, first in their own communities, then across the country and around the globe.

Congratulations, 2012 American Degree Recipients!

Don’t miss the American Degree Ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 22. You can watch it live on RFD TV or iHigh.com/ffa.